The control of phytopathogenic fungi is of great economic importance since fungal growth on plants or on parts of plants inhibits production of foliage, fruit or seed, and the overall quality of a cultivated crop.
Because of the vast economic ramifications of fungal propagation in agricultural and horticultural cultivations, a broad spectrum of fungicidal and fungistatic products have been developed for general and specific applications.
Of particular interest with respect to the present invention embodiments are fungicide compositions which contain an inorganic bicarbonate or carbonate compound. It is known that bicarbonate and carbonate compounds exhibit fungicidal properties for agricultural purposes.
Phytopathology, 48, 169 (193) by R. H. Marloth describes studies involving the physiology of fungi. The reference reports studies which demonstrate that sodium and potassium bicarbonate and carbonate salts are toxic to fungi such as Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitalum.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,560,558 discloses the use of salts such as lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate as fungicide ingredients.
Japanese patent 53090319 describes the application of potassium bicarbonate as an active biocide for the control of fungal diseases common to tomato and cucumber plants.
Japanese patent 53118523 describes the combination of sodium bicarbonate and lecithin as an active agent for the control of agricultural and fruit storage fungus diseases.
Japanese patent 56043207 describes a biocidal composition containing sodium bicarbonate and a polyglycerol fatty acid ester. The biocide controls Penicillium digitatum on oranges, Sphaerotheca fuligenea on cucumbers, Piricularia oryzae on rice, and mosaic virus on tomatoes.
Japanese patent 60097909 describes a soil fungicide prepared by admixing slaked lime with sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, boric acid and phenolphthalein.
German patent DE 2927994 describes a fungicide which consists of sodium bicarbonate incorporated into a food-compatible surfactant such as saccharose laurate.
Japanese patent 57062208 describes horticultural fungicides in which the addition of sodium bicarbonate to polyoxin or thiophanatemethyl increases the fungicidal activity of the organic biocide against botrytis cinerea on cucumbers.
Japanese patent 58023609 describes an agricultural fungicide composed of a mixture of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate with cupric hydroxide, basic copper carbonate or basic copper sulfate. The combination of ingredients exhibits a synergistic fungicidal effect against cucumber early blight, tomato wilt, rice sheath blight, rice blast and citrus canker.
There remains a continuing need for the development of new and more effective fungicides which possess preventive, curative and systemic activity for the protection of cultivated plants, with a minimum of phytotoxic side effects.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a dry blend biocide composition which contains a bicarbonate ingredient exhibiting fungicidal properties, and which is harmless to animals and humans.
It is another object of this invention to provide a dry blend fungicide composition which is a non-caking and free-flowing formulation, and which contains particulate ingredients comprising a bicarbonate salt, and a combination of fatty acid salt and hydrophilic polymer which functions as a spreader-sticker and film-forming medium when the composition is diluted with water and applied to plant foliage.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the accompanying description and examples.